WATERBURY - On Saturday, October 23rd Teikyo Post University’s Equine Resources Committee hosted a very successful training seminar featuring David Collins, who is based in Brewster, New York.

Collins, who spent many years in Europe learning the correct basics and progressive training used so successfully there, brought along four horses to demonstrate his methods. First was a 5-year-old who had only been in training for three months. Collins explained and demonstrated the importance of correct lungeing in getting the horse focused, forward and obedient to the voice commands. The over 50 people present saw how important good lungeing methods are to improving the horses paces, helping with fitness and starting the training process.

Next came the Swedish stallion ‘Kardinal’ who is just back in work after an injury. Ridden first by his owner, Annie St. Phalle, he showed the correct warm-up procedures including lateral work, shortening and lengthening stride and working the horse round. Then Collins mounted to show some more advanced work. It was obvious the stallion know exactly what was expected and produced some impressive extensions at trot and excellent canter work. Liz Spewack brought in her ‘schoolmaster’, ‘Ohmnamaste’, now 21 years old and showed her ‘warm-up’ including lots of lateral work to keep the older horse supple. Meanwhile, Collins explained the importance of each movement and how it should be ridden. He pointed out that older horses often get more forward as they supple up and that they learn not to do anything ‘naughty’ until their muscles are warm. This way they avoid injuring themselves!

Finally the audience was enthralled by the advanced work of the three “p’s” - piaffe , passage and pirouette that Collins demonstrated on his Hannovarian ‘Aujourd’hui’. This powerful horse has a wonderful mind and outstanding ability and will be going to Florida in January to compete in the Olympic Screening trials.

As is the case with anything, the true expert makes difficult things look easy and this was certainly the case at the Training Seminar. However, the explanations helped the spectators to understand the work that goes into producing horses at all levels. Collins stressed the importance of consistency in the training, adjusting the work for each horse’s needs and level of training, staying focused throughout and being positive mentally when handling or riding horses.